Hello Peg,

Most likely, your redbud’s drooping canopy plus a trunk fissure with sap indicates structural or trunk injury (often winter‑related) rather than a disease that affects leaves or flowering. The tree can still bloom beautifully even when the trunk is compromised.

Below is a Michigan‑specific, evidence‑based breakdown of what your symptoms most likely mean and what to do next.

What the drooping + trunk fissure + sap usually indicates

Your search terms match several known redbud issues:

1. Canker or trunk injury (very common in redbuds)

Redbuds are prone to canker diseases, which cause branch dieback, structural weakness, and sap leakage. Gardenia notes that cankers cause branch dieback and overall decline, especially when trees are stressed. 

  A fissure with sap is consistent with canker or winter cracking.

2. Environmental stress (drought, winter injury)

Redbuds are sensitive to drought and temperature extremes. Environmental stress can cause drooping leaves or a canopy, even when flowering remains strong.

Michigan’s freeze–thaw cycles commonly cause frost cracks on thin‑barked species like redbud, which later ooze sap.

3. Possible borers (secondary, not primary)

Borers prefer stressed trees and cause sap, frass, and structural weakening.

If the fissure is attracting insects, borers may move in, but they are usually opportunistic—the crack comes first.

4. Natural weeping habit?

Some redbud cultivars (‘Lavender Twist’, ‘Ruby Falls’) have a true weeping form.

However, a tree that wasn’t weeping in earlier years but is now drooping is not expressing genetics—it’s expressing stress.

How to diagnose what’s really happening

Use this checklist:

Inspect the fissure

Brown, sunken, or cracked bark → likely canker.

Clean vertical split → frost crack.

Sawdust-like frass → borers.

Scratch test above and below the fissure

Green cambium = alive

Brown cambium = dead or dying

Check branch flexibility

Limp, drooping branches that bend easily often indicate root or trunk weakness, not leaf health issues.

Look for repeated sap flow

Persistent oozing suggests canker or borer entry.

What you can do (Michigan‑specific recommendations)

1. Do NOT seal the wound

Redbuds compartmentalize naturally; wound dressings slow healing.

2. Prune out any cankered or dead wood

Make cuts 6–8 inches below visible damage.

Canker pathogens spread in wet conditions, so prune in dry weather.

3. Reduce stress to prevent decline

Redbuds are short‑lived (20–40 years) and decline faster under stress.

Support the tree with:

Deep watering during dry spells

Mulch (2–3 inches, not touching trunk)

No fertilizing unless a soil test shows a deficiency

4. Monitor for borers

If you see frass or round exit holes, the tree may need intervention.

Borers target weakened trees, so improving vigor is the best defense.

5. If the trunk crack is severe

A major frost crack or trunk canker can cause permanent drooping because the tree loses structural integrity.

If >30–40% of the circumference is damaged, long‑term decline is likely.

Should you worry if it’s blooming well?

Redbuds often bloom strongly even when in decline, because flowering uses stored carbohydrates.

A beautiful bloom does not guarantee structural health.

My recommendation

Your symptoms—drooping canopy, trunk fissure, and sap—most closely match frost crack or canker, with last year's drought stress as a contributing factor.

This is treatable if caught early, but if the trunk is significantly compromised, the tree may slowly decline over several years.

I recommend you email both images to the MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics Lab to obtain a confirmed diagnosis of the problem.

Their email is <personal data hidden> - Please include your first and last name.

The experts there can also provide you with the best treatment options.

The lab will let you know if they need a sample sent.

The lab may also ask for additional images. So be prepared.

Their website is at this link: 

Plant & Pest Diagnostics (msu.edu)

Their Contact Information is at this link:

Contact Us - Plant & Pest Diagnostics (msu.edu)

This link will explain the details on submitting a sample to the MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics Lab:

Submit Samples - Plant & Pest Diagnostics (msu.edu)

RESOURCES at the links below:

Cercis canadensis (American Judas Tree, American Redbud, Eastern Redbud, Redbud) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

ENH304/ST145: Cercis canadensis: Eastern Redbud

Redbud | Home & Garden Information Center

I hope this helps!